Learning Targets in Action: Snapshots from Classrooms

In order to provide a clear and understandable vision of each learning target, teachers in Expeditionary Learning Schools use a variety of strategies in their daily lessons to get students discussing and interacting with them. Some of these are listed below. For all lessons Target is posted unless theres a specific instructional reason to keep it a mystery or have students otherwise discover it. One target may apply to only one lesson or to a series of lessons. Target is explicitly discussed or reviewed early on in the lesson. Target, or aspect of the target, is referenced with each part of the lesson and/or checked-on before moving on. Target is referred to again during the synthesis/debrief/closing of the lesson, often with evidence that shows where students are now, and some full-class or self-assessment of that evidence. Strategies Post the target and have students brainstorm specific ways they might show mastery. List these possible pieces of evidence. Critique them against the target as a class (or in pairs/triads). Share findings and make final decisions about what students must show as evidence of mastery.

Critique a piece of work and/or video of a class in action in relation to a learning target (and its accompanying criteria list or rubric). Students sort samples of work and samples of targets and place the appropriate work under each target. Discuss. At the beginning of a lesson, students self-assess their level of mastery toward a target and then are placed in groups with others at their level. Groups are given tasks to move them to the next level. Hold status conferences with small groups of students at the same level. Follow this with goal-setting and lessons/assignments that get students to the next level. Use a variety of quick-check assessment strategies around a target. Discuss what it means to be at a certain level, trends, areas of challenge, lessons/support needed to get the whole class to mastery. Quick checks may include: Four Corners: each corner represents a different level of target masterystudents go to the corner that represents their perceived status and discuss why they belong in that group. Share. Stand in Line: students get in order based on where they fall on a continuum of beginning to exemplary on a target. Variation: all students stand in line and step forward or back a given number of steps to represent where they are in their learning. Graphing My Progress: students mark their place on a graph of beginning to exemplary for a certain target, with stickers, markers, symbols, etc. Analyze/discuss. Variations: whole-class public tracking charts or individual Graphing Me charts. Fist-to-Five: students hold-up the number of fingers that represent where they stand on a given target. Fist is lowest level, while five fingers represent mastery. Lily Newman 2009